Boston, Cambridge, Salem, Greg Tang, Amy Krouse Rosenthal and so much more!!

I had the honor of being in the presence of some of the greatest people on earth this past week. I had more than one A-ha moment along the way. Let me start by saying that Greg Tang is an amazing person. If you don't know who he is.....YOU SHOULD....check him out at gregtangmath.com. He has a different way of thinking through math and teaching math. All for the better for our students. Yes, you CAN call me a Tang Groupie (and proud of it). I was honored to be one of 300 educators to attend the first annual Math Plus conference. Let me tell you...it is going to get bigger and BIGGER each year. Not only does Greg deliver a panel of AMAZING presenters (one being his incredible wife, Tammy), but he also takes the time to provide yoga sessions and swing dance lessons during the conference. Learning about doing math in a new way requires us to think out of the math box we were taught in....thus getting us to swing dance also pushed us to try something new.

A life changing moment for me was seeing Amy Krouse Rosenthal speak. She inspires me and it is nice to meet someone else who has a fascination with words just like me! What she does and what she is all about makes me want to be a better person....yes, she made me shed tears of amazement!

She shared her newest book with us that is due out in less than a month. I totally pre-ordered my copy. The craziest part of learning of her new book was that it is about a Unicorn named Uni. My daughter, who is 6, has an imaginary friend named Uni, who is a Unicorn. I am pretty sure I will order an additional copy for a keepsake to give her on graduation day or her wedding day. This amazed me! Amy was even kind enough to sign my book not only for me but also for my daughter and take a photo!




This women is truly AMAZING!!!!

I was also fortunate enough to see Cathy L. Seeley speak. Boy, she is my kinda gal....she tells it like it is!


She stated that it is not that we have an achievement gap in America, it is that we have untapped potential! Another inspiring educator!

The trip was amazing. I learned so much and I am so excited to support teachers and share the new ideas!

While in Boston, I received some news from my school district. Due to a teacher shortage in Arizona, I am being placed in a second grade teaching position for the beginning of the school year until a teacher is hired. While some may think that this is not a good thing or would think that I am upset, I feel just the opposite! I am being given a platform for trying out all of the things that I have learned while out of the classroom for the past 5 years. I am so excited to see the little faces come Wednesday, the first day of school. It has always been my most favorite day. I am getting the opportunity of a life time! I can't wait to teach Funny Numbers (Greg Tang) and use some of the strategies that I learned from Amy Krouse Rosenthal. I only hope that I am there long enough to try all the amazing things!

One a final note, I had a blast exploring Boston, Cambridge, and Salem with my two amazing coworkers and FRIENDS! I can proudly say that I know how to travel by train, subway, and taxi now!